My
Political Science professor
keeps on saying that feminism
is DEAD. Please help me convince
him that it isn't. I will be
very grateful for any articles
you can share. Thank you very
much.

I just finished writing a book
proving/explaining that feminism
is very much alive. It's called
Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism,
and the Future. The
biggest indication that feminism
is still alive is that feminism
is still so necessary to our
lives.

For
instance consider the following
facts: nearly 41% of US citizens
are without health insurance;
women make, on average, 33%
less than men's salaries; most
women can't have an abortion;
domestic violence is a leading
killer of women between the
ages of 18 and 40. So, clearly
feminism - or some social justice
movement - is still needed in
an attempt to remedy these injustices
- and since no other social
justice movement is making a
move - feminism has to.

Also, I think that the best
indication to feminism's vitality
- is to look at how many women
are simply living feminist lives.
For instance, how many women
who are following their dreams
and making choices that weren't
conceivable for previous generations
of women. Even if these women
aren't calling themselves feminists,
their actions speak louder than
words. Your professor seems
to be spending too much time
relying on the media to present
feminism to him rather than
looking at the real life examples
that are probably right in front
of him. Does he really think
that you are the lone feminist
left to carry on feminism? I
hope that helps.